


Bound by Fate

by legendspeaker



Category: Undertale
Genre: M/M, Minor Violence, a general psa that there's a lot of backstory, a shitpost but serious, and its not explained outright, harem of gays, uwu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2019-10-05 18:52:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17330495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legendspeaker/pseuds/legendspeaker
Summary: Generally, two Nightmare's would be an absolute /nightmare/.





	1. Daydream

Quite an uneventful day for Dream, in which he actually had some free time thanks to work in JR getting done quite smoothly. Paperwork was sorted neatly and completed, ready to be sent off early the next morning. In fact, Dream could actually visit the orphanage, his free afternoon spent playing with small stitched finger puppets sent from an anonymous persons who regularly sent in hand-made dolls, blankets, etc.

After some time mingling with the younger ones, Dream was free to roam the base of operations, though quickly became bored of dull interactions with members. With no one to bother him, he stepped outside, relieving himself of his jacket as he pleased himself with a scenic walk.

It was early spring weather, bugs reintroduced to the area while plants resprouted. Flowers had recently been shipped in to repurpose a recently destroyed building into a garden area, and the boxes were left untouched right outside the area. The blooms varied in sizes and colors and type, but were soft and generally went together in an aesthetically pleasing way.  
Dream had only stopped a moment to check it out before heading up towards the outskirts of the little town surrounding JR, a relieved sigh escaping him as he sat himself on a hill, alone with the bugs and plants for awhile. He could almost close his eyes. . .

A sudden burst of negative energy followed by a shrill noise awoke him from his daydream, glancing around curiously for what he could only assume to be his brother.  
The snap of a large branch gave way to the smaller sibling. It seemed odd his goons hadn't been around somewhere nearby, and upon closer inspection it appeared the other was severely injured after falling out of a tree - go figure - and his sibling was out cold.

Dream grimaced at the sight, however, the aura gave away something strange. It wasn't... familiar at all. Despite the same appearance, the tattered clothes resembled nothing that Nightmare would usually wear, far too formal. This couldn't be right.

He picked up the bundle of the unconscious person, and Dream gained some altitude as not to be seen with the Nightmare look-alike. The window to his room was unlocked per usual and he let himself in, carefully dumping the body onto his couch to further examine.

While general features were similar, there were some minor discrepancies that only Dream could manage enough to care about. The hair was near neat - despite falling through a tree - and somewhat shorter than what Dream had seen from his brother the last time. The clothes were old, but clean, well taken care of. The circlet was clean as well, and Dream brushed a leaf out of it when he had taken it off. Definitely strange.

Dream lay the circlet on his desk after providing a blanket and pillow to let this doppelganger rest some, studying the fine gold with fierce intensity. This didn't sit well with him.

 

Nightmare groaned at the stabbing pain in his side and head, grasping at his forehead and felt something soft and cold. Washcloth. He took it off, curling up in the blanket as he cracked one eye open slightly. Nighttime.

The room he was in felt quite calming, despite his obvious tension for being in an unknown place, though he still sat rather still. There really wasn't much to gawk at. It was a rather neat room, the only thing majority present being a desk and chair, and though he couldn't examine it, Nightmare could bet the desk was just as neat as the rest of the room.  
It was only a moment before the door opened and an illuminated presence made himself known, glancing towards him. The aura vaguely reminded Nightmare of the one dearest to him, sitting up with a grunt and gritting his teeth at the pain in his side.

Dream didn't much hesitate coming to his aid, wings arched over him as he provided Nightmare support to sit up straight.

Conflicted emotions blossomed from the angel, Nightmare realized, only now noticing the plate the taller had placed on the desk, only for his stomach to growl embarrassing loud. Hopefully the angel-like-human wasn't similar to those he had lived with in the village, and would stoop as to attempt to harm him.

"You're not sure." Dream released Nightmare from his hold at the uncertainty of the option of food, the double surprised at the conclusion but also giving him evidence that this is indeed someone like his brother.

"I-I don't-" Nightmare croaked, then shuddered at the pain, lying down awkwardly. "I don't trust easy." Just the sentence was draining for the black-haired male, Dream brushing his fingers through the strands with a warm smile.

"You don't have to trust me yet, take your time." Nightmare only shivered at the striking similarities, turning himself over on the couch to face away from Dream.  
It seemed too much to bear.

"Would you like a scone?" Dream offered, stifling a chuckle at the growling belly as the other turned around quite hopefully, and Dream reached over to the platter on his desk to present to Nightmare.  
He looked rather bashful taking one, inspecting it for a moment.

"It's not poisoned, I have no reason to harm you," Dream chuckled now, and after a moment's consideration Nightmare took a bite. A gentle noise of delight brought a smile to his face, at least one thing this Nightmare and his brother had in common: a love of strawberries.

The newcomer scarfed it down quickly, seeming content for a moment before Dream offered him a mug as well, warm to the touch but not excessively hot. He sat up as not to spill, wincing at his wound again.  
"It's some spring tea we just got in, I hope you enjoy it. If not," Dream stood to his full height, dragging a glass of water onto a small table near the couch Nightmare rested on. "You can always have some water. Everything you should need is within this wing, please don't leave it; I'll come check on you every now and then." To interrogate you, Dream added to himself quietly.

Nightmare nodded, not even glancing up at the angel before muttering a small 'thank you', only staring into his tea while Dream excused himself. Despite the compassion, there was still very little trust, and so he placed the mug on the table where the water sat, opting to watch the door instead.

 

The door-watching efforts were in vain, and Nightmare attempted to sleep some of the pain away for some times. Every now and then Dream did visit the office, making sure he was comfortable without waking him, sometimes borrowing signed papers from his earlier sorted stacks while he had the time.

He wasn't sure when, but when Nightmare had woken up, it was a bit lighter outside, and some knocking had pestered him beyond being able to sleep through it. Dream wasn't anywhere to be found, and severely annoyed he rolled off the couch to tell the perpetrator to buzz off.

Limping to the door, he opened it just a crack, meeting a green gaze with his own harsh white, squinting through the door.  
"Screw off, angel boy isn't here," Nightmare yawned, attempting to return to the couch before hearing the door slam open, likely denting some portion of the wall. He flinched at the noise, glaring at the strangely Ink-esque person, raising an eyebrow at the other.

"Need somethin-" He was cut off when he was backed up into the couch, knees buckling so he had to sit while the other loomed over him. Almost mentally shutdown from being half-asleep, the only logical thing he could do was gently push Ink away so he had room to breathe.

"Alright, ponytail, I don't know your deal but I am not in any sort of authority here, I'm sure he'll be back-"

"Why are you here." The question caught Nightmare off guard, but the other backed off some, still too close for comfort.

"Hell if I know," Nightmare responded brashly, keeping a steady gaze on the Ink. "But I'm not here to be harassed. Your guy will be here shortly, I'm sure."

Nightmare had only responded curtly, and after a few more minutes of being stared - or rather glared - at, the other left, grumbling about "brotherly shit" or something other. Nightmare didn't care much to listen as the door was closed and he was left by his lonesome to think.

It was only half an hour before Dream returned, clearly exhausted and a hefty stack of papers in his arms, which he lay on his desk with a soft sigh. He was admirable, being this hard-working and all, but it was clearly draining and Nightmare wasn't sure if he really even slept. At all.

"Ink wants to apologize for earlier, he didn't mean to be so aggressive." Dream interrupted Nightmare's thoughts suddenly, and he glanced up at the angel with a snort.

"If he wants to apologize he can say it to my face." Dream smiled sadly, but nodded.

"I'll tell him to do so," Dream spoke softly, his positive aura beaming gently on the injured, sitting on the floor to address Nightmare.

"Do you need something?" He inquired at the sudden soft atmosphere. Dream had a position of power, why was he not standing at full height as he should to enforce it? What a strange leader.

"I was curious to see if I could inquire you for a bit, if you are comforta-"

"I plead the fifth." Dream was shocked at the sudden interruption, wings twitching on his back at the sudden smug look on Nightmare's face. "I'll be asking questions, and I want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

Dream was intrigued by the sudden leadership of the younger man, but obliged with a simple nod.

"I'll agree to your terms, but please enlighten me on these questions you wish to ask?"

A grin tugged on Nightmare's face as he relaxed. "What is this place?"

"We are currently in Justice Reigns, an establishment of mine to bring peace and happiness to the people around us." Dream answered quite proudly, though caught Nightmare rolling his eyes at the answer before continuing.

"What am I supposed to call you?" Nightmare leaned closer to Dream, though knew what the answer would be.

"As a guest you may refer to me as Dream-"

"Thought so, next question: How was I injured?" Nightmare cut him off at the name, heart wrenched at the familiarity. Dream caught on, and proceeded.

"I can only assume it was by falling ungraciously out of a tree, but they were mostly minor," Dream answered. Nightmare nodded, feeling carefully at his side. He had awoken earlier with his worst wound bandaged quite heavily, apparently while he was asleep, and it felt marginally better as long as he didn't put pressure against it.

"How did... how did I get here?" Nightmare was only hesitant now, frowning as he awaited an answer.

"I do not know, I only know you look similar to my brother and that while I was out I found you. I've been attempting to find distortions but sadly none could be found. I was hoping you would know, rather." Dream frowned as well, standing up as Nightmare was clearly uncomfortable with the thought, now sitting next to him and allowing the smaller to lean on him.

Nightmare took the invitation, feeling somewhat awkward being comforted by someone so tall. He felt like a child, though it wasn't near uncomfortable. The familiar and warm positive aura made him feel whole and quite frankly welcome in the embrace, and despite feeling cold towards Dream earlier felt rather calm now.

"Where is your brother?" He asked finally, both eyes closed to listen in on Dream's heartbeat.

"I'm looking for him, he is an outlaw at the moment, and ever so evasive. Do not worry about him." Dream hesitated for a moment, but Nightmare seemed content enough at the moment to not care as much. He smiled, patting the soft black hair. It was true he missed his Nightmare, but this one could act as some sort of bittersweet replacement, if he was willing to oblige further.


	2. Bluemoon

"St-stop-" Nightmare hissed, faint purple giving away his embarrassment at the situation.

"C'mon, you've had to have done at least this before." Dream hummed in response, leaning over his shoulder with a smirk dawning on his face. Nightmare fidgeted nervously, clearly very uncomfortable. 

The egg he was holding fell to the ground, and Dream only pat him gently to let him know it was okay. 

"The townspeople usually cooked for us..." He grumbled, stepping aside as Dream cleaned up quickly and proceeded to cook himself, Nightmare at his side to watch. Him and his brother had only cooked once before, and neither of them were any good at it. However, Angel boy knew his way around the kitchen, providing Nightmare a chair.

It has been a few days, his heaviest wound healing up nicely and his minor scratches completely forgotten. Nightmare had insisted on no healing magic for some strange reason, but Dream obliged to his guests requests and said nothing of it. 

Nightmare had also insisted he attempt to make Dream breakfast, however he was clearly nothing short of awful and let the other take over from there. 

A few of the staff came by to take from the public fridge and wave good morning, the situation of Nightmare being there having been addressed as people would have figured it out sooner or later. Though, the smaller was quite nervous and focused rather on anything else other than the speech Dream gave. 

Nightmare yawned before twitching again, this time at the feeling of being watched. He turned to see Ink, looking towards Dream who hadn't seemed to notice. 

"I'm gonna use the bathroom," he declared after a moment, the other waving him off as he proceeded towards Ink with a scowl. Still no apology. 

The only thing Nightmare had gotten from this guy was his weird personality, shifting to match either positive, neutral, or negative depending on who he was around. He could only assume Ink would always be negative around him, proved to be true 5 out of 5 times.

"Listen," Ink started, causing a slightly raised eyebrow. "I was told to apologize, so I have to or else I don't get missions." Nightmare snorted. 

"Fine, I'll accept your apology."

"But I didn't even-"

"Frankly I didn't really care, I just wanted to see you try, so thank you, but I was just messing with you." Nightmare pat Ink gently on the shoulder, placing his finger over his lips before returning to Dream, feeling rather mischievous at the moment thanks to Ink. A strange vessel, but rather fun to toy with. 

"You alright?" Dream teased as he entered the kitchen, earning him a glare that was later resolved when Nightmare spotted the fluffy pile of eggs on a plate next to the seat. 

Nightmare resumed his seat to dig in, comforted by both the warm and soft taste in his mouth. Better than anything the townspeople could ever make, in his opinion.

"This is really nice, thank you," Nightmare smiled gently for a moment, savoring the flavor for a moment while Dream fetched him a glass of milk. 

"Of course, only the best for our guest," Dream nodded and Nightmare snorted softly.

"Nothing like a nice greeting from your assassin to make me feel at home," He snorted when Dream grimaced at the thought. "I'm joking, he's fine, he apologized to me earlier, so you can put him out on  
missions again or whatever it is you make him do." 

"Yes, he's pretty good at his job, so having him out for a few days certainly held us back, but he catches up quickly, so no doubt he'll be bored." 

"That's dangerous," Nightmare argued, sipping at his milk while Dream shook his head. 

"Usually he's well-behaved, but he doesn't react kindly to your aura." 

"Most don't, I'm surprised the town ignored it for 20 years," Nightmare sighed, before brightening up some once he remembered what he had wanted to request earlier. "It's alright to go outside for a bit, yes?"

Dream considered it a moment, nodding with a small hint of hesitation. "Of course you may, but I'll have to accompany you for your own safety." Nightmare groaned at the requirements, perhaps just wanting a moment outside alone, but it wasn't the worst possible outcome. 

The two had to clean up though, to ensure the kitchen could be used easily by the next person. While Nightmare couldn't cook, he sure could clean, and it took at most ten minutes before the kitchen was just about spotless. 

Nightmare headed upstairs for a change of clothes while Dream waited right outside his office. After a few days sleeping on the couch, the leader insisted that he sleep in a proper bed, but Nightmare really didn't mind it.

He had moved to the closest bedroom to Dream's, on the same wing and everything, but sometimes Nightmare still retreated to the room he was most familiar with, even if the other happened to be working. 

The clothes were respectable enough, more on the cooler side of the color spectrum. He dawned a navy t-shirt and jeans, and an incredibly soft jacket (enough he's grown quite fond of). Black tennis shoes  
were the most comfortable for what Nightmare assumed to be a walk, and soon enough joined Dream.

It was almost amusing to see him wearing something more casual than his usual outfit, but comforting. Pastels fit him best, it seemed, a soft blue shirt with dark jeans and a coat he had never seen before, faux fur on the inside and hood, brown in color. 

Nightmare snorted at the dress choice, but the two ushered outside and into a small but well taken care of garden. 

"Color me surprised, Dream," He spoke carefully, glancing at a budding rose bush. "I didn't take you for a man who likes a garden."  
"Ah, well, we have our sweet touches now don't we? We pride ourselves on-" Nightmare had moved on, and Dream cut himself short to follow. 

It was only a moment before a cell started to buzz, and Dream had to take a moment away from Nightmare to check on it. He had no argument against that, continuing forwards. 

It only took a moment. 

Nightmare didn't hear the distant 'scree' of the bird of prey, and was rather surprised when he was clawed at from mysterious talons from nowhere.

Only a moment more and the bird had fled, wing flailing aggressively as it tried to gain air with a broken bone. 

At this point Nightmare had fallen to the ground, holding his scratched cheek as it bled into his hand, but he was leaning on something. 

Rather, someone. 

Nightmare shuddered at the mischievous aura, attempting to scramble forwards but held in a gentle but tight hug from behind. He twitched at being pet, looking around for Dream, nowhere in sight. 

"You're not an animal person, are you?" The one behind him mused, continuing to pet the smaller. "Neither are you from here, stranger. You may call me Blue."

"That's a dumb name," Nightmare snarled, finally pulling himself out of the hold to get a better look at his perpetrator. Appropriately named, he was clad in blue clothing, an everlasting smirk gracing his pale features.

The now deemed "Blue" stood up, fetching a handkerchief from his pocket and moving Nightmare's hand to replace it with the fine cloth. 

"I am only here to help you," Blue promised softly, rubbing at the scratches carefully with a frown. Was he... concerned? No, certainly not, his emotions spoke otherwise. Nightmare squinted. 

"I was fine on my own-" Nightmare was interrupted when Blue inspected closer, far too close and face-to-face. 

"I can only assume he was going for your eyes, I'm glad I was here in time," Blue cooed subtly, moving Nightmare's hand up to hold the handkerchief. "Keep it, don't forget my name."

It seemed a bit blurry when Blue disappeared, but Dream was right around the corner having finished up his phone call. The dramatic noise he had made alerted Nightmare to his presence. 

"What happened, who hurt you?" Dream rushed over to him, pulling away the cloth to examine the marks.

"A bird," Nightmare replied nonchalantly.

"Maybe you should remain inside," Dream suggested, and Nightmare shrugged as he was led back the way they came. 

"It's not a big deal, it happens," Nightmare protested against being babied like he used to be, frowning deeply as at this point the pain had died down to nothing but a sting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eiemflhadetud


	3. Sun Spots

Due to recent “injury” (which Nightmare is apparently extremely prone to) Dream thoroughly insisted that the shorter room with him for a bit. Nightmare could argue there was a medical ward which served it's purpose fine, however it was hard to argue with someone who reminded him of his own brother, so he obliged and was given a cot to sleep in. 

It wasn't any more comfortable than his previous bed, but he did enjoy that it was a bit smaller and thus more snug, even if he had fallen off of it a few times. His face was patched up pretty graciously, though no stitches were required thankfully enough. 

Nightmare was still bothered by the handkerchief, often times looking at it and the slightly stained marks on it. 

"Still a stupid name," Nightmare hissed and put the cloth away in his pocket. Dream looked up from his book, raising an eyebrow. 

"Are you talking to someone?" Dream sure enjoyed teasing the outcast who lie on the end of his bed, since Champion had taken over the small cot right next to it. 

"No, just contemplating something. You sure know some strange men." Dream snorted in response, checking the time before putting his book down. 

"Would that happen to include you, Nightmare?" The angel countered, leaning close to ruffle the just slightly wet hair, having been recently showered. 

"I'm going to get a snack," Nightmare declared, sliding off the bed and skirting around Champion to leave. "And of course I'm included, I'm probably the worst of them all."

After leaving the room, he swept down the stairs and to the kitchen. A lucky find, a batch of muffins on the counter for JR residents and workers to eat at their leisure. Nightmare grabbed two, one for Dream, taking his sweet time to snack on his own. 

The presence of someone else mildly alarmed him when he had just begun his ascent up the stairs, doing his best to hide in the shadows, with no avail. 

"Nightmare?" The stranger asked, strings glittering softly in the dark halls. He had even seen this person before, but he seemed to know Nightmare quite well as the other had gathered him up in a tight hug. 

"What are you still doing here? We told you it was a bad idea-"

"'We'?" Nightmare questioned, backing out of the hug with a grumble. "Who the hell are you?" 

The stranger paused, glancing up and down at Nightmare before backing off, waving his hands, though genuine curiosity showed, and some form of uneasiness."

"It's me, Error? You don't remember?" Error shuffled back, disheartened, maybe this wasn't the person he was after. 

"I've never met you before in my life."

Error seemed a bit shocked at the statement, but brightened up somewhat. For whatever reason this only made Nightmare a bit more uncomfortable about the situation.

“You and my friend must have similar names, then,” Error decided, and though thoroughly confused turned about before heading the way he had previously been going, almost hightailing it out of there before he was cornered.

“You’re friends with… er, Dream’s brother?” A bit awkward to refer to himself in the third person, but it was someone else, as Dream had explained earlier; he still had a brother. 

“I know him, yeah, that’s why I got you confused with him… I really should keep going though, if you don’t mind, he’s rather inpatient as it is-” Error trailed off, ducking under the shorter’s arms with a friendly wave.

Nightmare let it go, knowing that another being with a negative aura wasn’t housed anywhere, not that he could tell at least. Though the encounter seemed quite convenient, now that he knew who this other Nightmare associated with. 

He arrived back at the room to find Dream half-asleep and the lights dim, snickering to himself and putting the muffin on the side table and slipping into the bed to eat. Had Dream been in a right state of mind he would have insisted that Nightmare eat it somewhere else, but for the moment he was quite sleepy and happily content. The mellow attitude made it quite easy to get away with what he wanted, but despite himself he lay the remaining contents of his muffin beside the other and curled up in the bed, not extremely close to Dream because that would be weird.

Somehow, though, the two would end up snuggled against each other, finding comfort in one another’s warmth.

 

It wasn’t long before Nightmare found himself in the garden again, wary of the sky above, the blue sky clouded with dots rather than circling birds. The faint chirping through the bushes where some birds had nested made him somewhat comfortable, finding a stone bench to bask in a sun spot for a bit.

Dream was busy, with whatever a business leader considers busy, so Nightmare was alone for this brief moment. Though it wasn’t like he had come without reason, in fact, he held to the small cloth he had been given not too long ago, with the vague hope that the mysteriously blue-clad person would appear again.

He had given the handkerchief a few good rinses so the small red stains were hardly visible, and had no intention of keeping something that wasn’t his. He folded it a few times in his lap, attempting a small origami crane, but it fell apart halfway through so he gave up.

Nightmare felt a bit awkward waiting around for so long, and judging from the sun he had been here for at least an hour. The sun warmed his dark clothing enough to the point he felt warm and rather cozy in the spot. If he wasn’t so wary of flying animals or otherwise, he just might have fallen asleep. 

He sighed when a cloud shaded the sun, closing his eyes to enjoy the cool breeze that drifted past without a care.

“Tired?” Nightmare sat up immediately, locating the blue-clad man but a few feet away from him. He let out an exasperated sigh, flinging the handkerchief at the other. Blue chuckled, catching it before starting to fold the cloth neatly. “No need to be so hostile, I’m a friend, remember?”

“I don’t do favors, so I’m returning that to you before you pester me about it,” Nightmare answered calmly, relaxing as the sun came back out behind the cloud. Blue chuckled, but he ignored it.

“I mean you no harm, comrad, I’m more trustworthy than Sir Angel up in his high tower,” Blue whispered, but his voice carried itself clearly over to Nightmare. 

Before Nightmare could prompt him, however, Blue had vanished, sweet blue eyes burning into him. 

 

“You’ve been giving me the cold shoulder all night,” Dream sounded both exasperated and a little upset once he spoke up, staring up from his paperwork. Nightmare could see the puppy-dog eyes from a mile away, He sighed, glancing away from Dream.

“You remind me a lot of my brother, the way you’re looking at me,” he explained, the thought making him upset by itself. But looking at Dream? It hurt like hell. “He’d always give me that look when he was losing a game or something other.”

Dream was quiet, even his pen had stopped signing papers to listen to Nightmare.

“What happened to him, if I may ask?”

“It’s hazy,” Nightmare replied coolly, shrinking in on himself. “All I remember is him calling my name, and he was… crying. He never cried, not even when he was hurt, I just-”

Nightmare choked, a low sob escaping him, and he wasn’t quite quick enough to stifle the noise. It wouldn’t have worked anyhow.

Dream pulled him close into a warm embrace, but Nightmare hardly noticed past his own negative emotions, shutting out the other.

He had cried his tears for awhile - too long to count - and he felt dry out and uncomfortably warm, but he hardly cared. The glow around him felt cruel, as if the world was mocking him, as if Dream was mocking him, but he wasn’t.

“. . . I miss him,” Nightmare sighed out at last, but Dream said nothing, he knew this already. At some point he too had felt sad, but not on this sort of scale. It was unfortunate, but--

Oh, he fell asleep.

Dream smiled softly at the frail body in his arms, snoring comfortably away in his arms. Dream still wasn’t sure if Nightmare was a light sleeper or not, opting to lie him down on the couch before resuming his work.


	4. An... Ink-tresting Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy the pun!

The two silhouettes sat alone under the comfort of a large birch, peeling the bark away like tearing paper in two. There was a small pile between them, but it was for nothing other than a bit of enjoyment out of the bitter heat that laced the air.

“Nightmare, you’re getting your pieces on me.” Dream brushed the pieces off with a disheveled attitude, tearing more birch bark off of the tree and tearing it into smaller pieces.

“Those are your own pieces,” he defended, shaking his head at even the concept, as if it were so outlandish to be convicted of being a minor inconvenience to one’s sibling. Dream snorted.

It was a few minutes later before the entire pile was shoved onto Nightmare’s lap in one fell swoop, the victim making a squeaky noise out of sheer surprise.

“Dream!”

Pieces of bark flew up into the air, light enough that it took a brief moment for them to flutter back down to earth, on top of the two now caught in wrestling each other. 

In the end, both of them were too exhausted to pick the birch out of their hair, leaving it instead and laying side by side for the moment, enjoying the comfort of each other for this small moment in which they had each other.

… … … 

Nightmare grunted once he had awoken, eyes adjusting to the thin stream of light coming in through the curtains. His neck screamed in protest at his position, but he didn’t care, only shifting so he wouldn’t be blinded by light.

Dream was nowhere to be found, which was odd, since this was his office, and during the day he was usually working. He racked his brain for any idea of where he could be, sitting up to look around. 

Quite frankly, he enjoyed the soft silence in the room, as it would otherwise be filled with the sound of pen on paper or gentle clacking on the keyboard - which, strangely enough, Nightmare had never seen before. His home was a simple village, so technology was rather new to him, so he didn’t dare touch it, not even when he was alone.

This was his first time alone in the room, since Dream hardly left him to his own devices. He debated seeking out his new blue acquaintance or, maybe, he could find Ink.

He decided the latter, shuffling in his blanket before leaving its warm embrace to seek out the artist-esque worker.

Somehow, he was harder to find than Nightmare anticipated. In fact, it was probably an hour and several minute breaks before he could tackle down Ink, only metaphorically though, considering he was considerably weak in such a positive residence.

Considering the fact he had been injured several times as well, Nightmare wouldn’t doubt the idea that some of the sickly sweet positive energy had somehow injected itself into him. He shuddered at the thought, before realizing that Ink was already leaving him behind and had to jog to catch up.

“Hey, slow down, I only just got up,” he grumbled in protest, in which Ink reacted with a resounding sigh. Clearly, not in the mood.

“I’m glad you get to sleep in, but my breaks are pretty limited and I would prefer to spend them alone.” Ink realized that Nightmare wasn’t going to leave him alone, he turned and moved his hair out of his face. 

“What.”

“Where’s Dream?” Was the only response, and Ink found himself reflecting worry, with a trace of anxiety and… something else he didn’t often feel, so he couldn’t quite name it. Getting along with Dream and occasionally running into Nightmare (of this universe), he could understand major categories of negative and positive emotions, but he was still limited in his knowledge of them.

“How would I know? I don’t keep a tracker on him,” his response was monotone and bored, but he couldn’t help but wonder what Dream was up to. 

Nightmare let out a snort of indignation, but asked nothing more for the moment, but still tagged along the other and looking around every room to ensure that Dream wasn’t there (he knew he would feel the powerful aura, but he was just double checking).

Ink decided in his own mild curiosity that he would help, but between the two it was a competition to see if one could find the missing CEO first. While they didn’t speak a word, it was decided they would tackle the same hallway, but different sections to ensure an equal but competitive atmosphere, racing from doors to knock exasperatedly and ask several JR workers the whereabouts of the lost Dream.

With no solid answer and about two hours of running down stairs and patient rides up the elevators, they collapsed together on a couch, out of breath and laughing at the same time. It was stupid, but the two thoroughly enjoyed the hunt, and caught their breath.

“So,” Nightmare started first, coughing and still trying to catch his breath. “Maybe we should get some water?”

“Yeah.” 

So the two again descended to the elevator, which brought them to the kitchen in one easy trip, and they sauntered in to dig around for bottles. They found two that were unopened and, as Nightmare is, shared a small package of strawberries together. Ink decided to attempt to pick all the seeds out of one, but gave up after mauling the strawberry into bits and pieces instead, eating whatever was left of it.

Granted, Ink still had a job to do, and left after their excursion, leaving Nightmare alone to reminisce on the couch they had claimed just previously. In his drowsy state of mind, he almost hardly recognized the warm feeling washing over him, but bolted upright after he realized.

Unfortunately, his head slammed right into Dream’s, leading to a painful cry from both victims, though Dream recovered quicker and attempted to relieve Nightmare of his soon to be bruise.

“You’re back,” Nightmare grunted softly, pressing a hand against the sore spot on his head, but looked up at Dream with a warm smile, inviting and easily rest-assured. And for awhile they sat together, just glad to be with one another, and Nightmare forgot to ask where Dream had been that whole time, considering he never once sensed Dream’s presence anywhere in the castle-like-estate. 

Ink returned soon after Dream arrived, brushing off dirt and forest debris from what he claimed was an “attack via bush.” They both snorted at the excuse, but regardless Ink bid his farewell and left Nightmare with a small box of wild strawberries he found while scavenging.

They were tart yet held a nice aftertaste, and Nightmare reminded himself to do something nice for the dedicated friend - going as far as to write a note on his wrist with a pen Dream provided to him.  
Nightmare allowed himself to be dragged to bed eventually, keeping the strawberries in the fridge with his name on the box before curling up under a warm comforter.

 

And his dreams were happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for such a long wait! i was really debating what to do with this chapter, and decided that ink needed some more spotlight! thank you for understanding, i hope you enjoyed.  
> after exams (may 31st) i will try to post more actively!  
> also i will attempt to make these longer because these chapters definitely need more detail!!

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own any of the characters, just the writing.  
> Dreamswap by OneBizarreKai !!


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